Device for gripping.



R. 0 SMITH.

DEVICE FOR GRlPPlNG. APPLICATION HL ED MAY 5. 1913 1,138,962. 1mm mm,191

RUDOLPH 0. SMITH, OF YONKEBS, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR GRIIPING.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RUDOLPH C. SMITH, a

. citizen of the United States, and a resident of Yonkers, in the countyof 'Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Devices'for Gripping, ofl'which the following.

is a Specification. Y

My inventionrelates to a new ipping mechanism whereby two members 0 ,astructure, one movabl on the other or, as an equivalent,-both movablewith relation to and on each other at difierent speeds, are

acted upon and coupled so as to keep the adhesion between the membersequal to the torque'b'etween the accelerfin'g and retard-- ing forces towhich the members may be subjected and balance automatically in thismanner the said forces, whereby the retardin'g force will counteract theaccelerating force 'of the body in motion and said body will continue inmotion with uniform veloc itybecause the retarding and acceleratingforces are kept automatically in equilibrium.

The invention will be fully understood from the description hereinafterpresented,

- reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel isa side elevation, partly in section, and partly broken away, of agripping device embodying my invention and in whih a movable structureis shown as gripping a stationary member with an adhesion balancing theaccelerating force or whatever torque or force may be app ied to themovable member; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same on the dottedline 2-2 of Fig. 1.; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same on thedotted line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical section, taken on thedotted line 4-1 of Fig. 5 through a modified embodiment of my invention,and Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in central vertical section, ofthe same.

I ordinarily make the gripping device as shown in Fig. 1, whichillustrates a stationarv rail 10 and a frame 11 slidable on and guidedbytherail 10, The rail 10 is shown as an ordinary T-rail placedhorizontally, and the frame 11 is illustrated diagrammatically as arectangular frame to which power to move it may be applicdfor anydesired purpose, and said frame 11 is' shown as formed at its oppositeends with grooves fitting upon the horizontal member 5} of the saidrail, whereby said rail is permitted to Specification of LettersI'atent.

' Application filed May 5, 1913. Serial No. 765,431.

I Pateiited May 11, i915.

serve as a support and guide for said body.

The movable frame 11 has at one end at one side of the member 9 of therail 10 a recesswhose outer wall affords a wedge-surfacem.

Upon one side of themember '9 is arranged a wedge 13 whose main portionis confined withinsaid recess in said frame 11 and adapted to engagesaid wedge-surfate12 and which wedge 13 has an extension 14: engagingthe memberi) and at the outer end thereof a shoulder 8. .Upon the otherside of the member 9 and engaging the same is a wedge 16 connected by alink or pivoted level-1'? with. the frame 11 and coupled to the eaten-'m' sion 14- of the wedge 13 by a U-shaped frame 15, the inner surfaceof one memberof ich is wedge-sha ed, as at 7, to engage the wedge 16, ass own in Fig. 1, and the inner surface of the other member of of thewedge 13. The frame or yoke 15 is independent of the frame. 11 andcapable of a. limited sliding movement, and the wedge- 16 may be tihtened in said frame 15 by power applied to. the crank handle of thelever 17, or by any other suitable connection. When the wedge 16 ismoved toward the right, in the arrangement shown in'Fig. 1, its lowerinclined face Wedges against the inclined face '7 of the frame 15 andthis causes the upper flat face of the said Wedge to more firmlyengagethe member 9 of the ,beam 10 and the upper member of the frame 15to more firmly press the lower face of the extension of p the upperwedge 13 against said member 9 of the beam 10, with the resuit that, thebody or frame 11 being in motion toward the left, the inclined surface12 i ice The features of my invention establish correct friction or, asfrequently stated, ad-

hesion between the body or frame 11 and the beam 10 to-balance theaccelerating and retarding forces.

75 which is fiat to engage the extension 11 .By a' great number ofexperiments I have conceived, the structural means to attain the resultof always balancing automatically forces F and F. These forces will balaautomatically under all conditions, y

compounding wedges 13 and 16, and selectingithe angle'of the back of thewedges of an cient inclination to leave the wedges self-releasing,

I have found that a'tangent.=l 3, or more, 'angle, will secure thisresult.-

of the .w

for most 0 the materials used in practical structures, andof course thesame automatic result follows for all self-releasing wedges,

15 when the eoeificientof friction between the back of} the wedge andthe other side of the Wedge ispractically the same.

Figs. & and 5- illustrate the application of my invention to two rotarymembers of a machine, 2-0 denoting the accelerating.

member and 21 the retarding-mefnber or vice versa. In Figs. Jr and 5, 22denotes the upper wedge having an extension 23 and shoulder 24, theinclined surface on the 2aimernber 20 to engage the inclined face ofsaid wedge, 26 the lower wedge, 27 the lever having a crank handlepivoted to said lower wedge, and 28 the U-shaped frame coupling saidwedges. i

30 The operation of the construction shown in Figs. l and 5 will beunderstood from the foregoingexplanation of the operation of themechanism shown in Fig. 1. In both instances the action of the wedges isthe '35 same, and in both instances the wedges are self releasing on areversal of the movement of the body or bodies in motion.

It is evident that this new mechanism of connecting two members movingat differ- .40 em speeds, by means of friction or ad heslon, where theadhesion always balances the accelerating and the retarding force whichcome into play between the two memconnected, is applicable in many arts;

clutches for every description of machinery, and the whole field ofbraln'ng -apparatus for railways, all classes of vehicles, and similarretarding apparatus.

I believe my inventlon to be broadly new and therefore desire adequateprotection for the same.

\Vhat I claim as my invcntion'and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isz 1. A body, a second body movable under power relatively thereto, andmeans for establishing plural compound frictional connections in seriesbetween said bodies automatically varying to balance part of theaccelerating and retarding forces by one con nection and the other partby the other, said means comprising compounded plural self releasingmechanical powers. I e A body, a second body movable under powerrelatively thereto, and means for establishing a frictional connectionbetween said bodies automatically varying to balance the acceleratingand retarding forces, said means comprising compounded pluralselfreleasing wedges.

engage one of them and a plain surface to engage a plain surface of theother wedge, said movable bodychaving an inclined surface vto engage theinclined face of said other wedge.

Signed at New York city, in the county of'New- York and State of NewYork, this 3d day of May, A. D. 1913.

RUDOLPH 0. SMITH.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR MARION, Crust C. GILL.

